Weekly Wrap Up – October 14

I can’t believe it’s already halfway through October! Where is this year going? Also, California needs to figure out that it’s fall already. Yesterday was so lovely and rainy and I actually got to wear a sweater (for like an hour with the ceiling fan on high), and now it’s over. This week is supposed to be in the eighties, and I hate it. I am also getting over side effect of getting the flu shot (I work at a medical center, so I have to do it or wear a mask for like three months) and discovering I am allergic to pugs, after having spent four days dog sitting one. But despite the weird week, I did manage to read a few books, including one that’s been sitting on my shelves for at least ten years and another I’ve been reading on and off for three years. I call that a win.

The first book I finished this week is Born to Be Posthumous by Mark Dery, a biography of Edward Gorey. I really enjoyed this one! It’s not the best biography I’ve ever read (to be fair, nothing can beat Isaacson’s Da Vinci biography), but it’s up there. If you’re a fan of Edward Gorey or looking for a new biography to read, I highly recommend it. You can check out my review if you’re curious.

I’ve been a bit slow with reading this week, so, instead, I listened to three audiobooks. The first is The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman – full review here. This is a really interesting true crime book about the story that inspired Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. I don’t know if I can say I enjoyed this – it’s kind of a devastating story – but I am glad I read it. I found it fascinating.

Then I binged the audiobook of The Green Mile by Stephen King. This has been on my shelf since high school, so it’s been a while. I can’t believe it took me that long to read! Especially because I loved it so much! Easily one of my favorite King books so far. It was an interesting experience listening to what is classified as a horror novel and coming very close to tears several times. It’s just so good, and I’m happy I finally bit the bullet and read it.

Finally, I finished Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, which I have been reading bits of every October since 2015. I love Bradbury, but this just didn’t speak to me, and I had trouble getting into it. I didn’t think it was bad, I just didn’t love it. Still, I finally got this off my TBR, and that feels like a huge accomplishment. This book has been haunting me.

Now, onto my current reads! First, I am still working on Vengeful, which, sadly, I didn’t dedicate enough time to this week, but I’m hoping to finish it soon. I could easily blow through this, but I am really enjoying slowing down and savoring V. E. Schwab’s writing. I’m also working slowly on Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which is a reread. I’m not far enough in to really comment on it, but I remember liking it back in high school, so I’m hoping to enjoy it this time around, too. Finally, since I am addicted to audiobooks, I just started Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire, and I’m enjoying it so far. I love this series, and the audiobook is great.

I hope you’re all having a great weekend! I’d love to hear what you’re reading this week, so let me know in the comments!